THE U.S IS A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC NOT A DEMOCRACY

 THE U.S IS A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC NOT A DEMOCRACY

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

 

The United States started as a mostly unsettled, huge territory in the western hemisphere.  The eastern part of this land mass was settled by the English who often wanted a new start in a territory that was sparsely settled by the indigenous people. The British King George III gave powerful noblemen huge territories to colonize. These entities held allegiance to Britain.

 

Englishmen settled along the east coast. With their own ingenuity, hard work, and perseverance they established their own homesteads that grew into settlements. Affluent colonists were self-taught although some upper-class colonists traveled to Europe to gain greater enlightenment. These men gained historical knowledge of the rise and fall of civilizations. They were self-actualized men who based their decisions on well thought out, practical, and logical ideas that worked. 

 

These wise men knew about tyrannical government because they were dealing with King George III’s repressive tactics.  They quickly learned that power in the hands of unchecked leaders can quickly produce tyrannical governments. The colonists faced restrictions and abusive edicts enforced by an overwhelming military. The British employed their power not through convincing the colonists of the benefits of their policies but through the barrel of a gun. The colonists learned that a government that did not allow the voice of the people to be heard ended in submission or a deadly struggle for freedom.

 

Our forefathers convened a Constitutional convention in Philadelphia in 1787 to hammer out a means of governing the union of the colonies. These fifty-five men knew they were taking on a monumental task of forming a new experimental government.

 

The leaders of the convention argued their ideas to establish the best form of government possible. This debating format of sharing concepts brought many representatives into a clearer picture of the types of government that would be best suited for giving local communities their autonomy while joining together to increase their power to be victorious against the British.

 

These statesmen knew that a democracy was not feasible. The word “democracy” was not mentioned in any founding documents, instead some of our founding fathers stated: 

Thomas Jefferson: Democracy is nothing more than mob rule where 51% of the people can take away the rights of the other 49%.

Ben Franklin: Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.

John Adams: Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself.

 

There was never a democracy yet that did not murder itself. Instead, these practical men brilliantly decided on a Constitutional Republic. Ours is the worlds’ oldest written Constitutional Republic still in use. 

 

Our constitution is the supreme law. The power of government is held by the people but exercised by the elected representatives. The rights of the minority are protected. The rule of law requires that no one is above the law. All states must have a representative government not a democracy. The people are the ultimate authority of the republic. Democracy is not mentioned in any documents produced by the Constitutional Convention. By what was decided there, we are a Constitutional Republic. 

 

Checks and balances are an essential part of our constitution. Each of the three branches limits the power of the other two. The founders were concerned about the concentration of governmental power. These three branches of government limit the possibility of abuse by any of the branches.  Congress can impeach the president if he employs powers he is not granted in the constitution. A Constitutional Republic creates governmental bodies and allocates power to them. Our executive branch cannot make laws. Congress makes laws but the supreme court can rule the law unconstitutional. The senate approves federal judges. The judicial branch determines the constitutionality of all laws. These and other checks and balances are built into the constitution to ensure a responsible government for the citizens. 

 

Even with our amazing Constitutional Republic that arrived with many mechanisms to prevent what the delegates feared the most: the concentration of government power in the hands of an individual that would be a tyrant, or an elite group of individuals, it is not sufficient. The vigilance of an active citizenry is necessary to prevent a tyrannical government.

 

At this time in our history, we are learning if our citizens do not speak up and vote, the longest existing and most comprehensive Constitutional Republic will implode. Remember our voices must be heard especially with a media biased against us. We must speak up even in a period of FBI and DOJ overtly intimidating respectable citizens.

 

Our nation’s existence as a Constitutional Republic is at stake. Upon leaving the Constitutional Convention when asked what they had decided, Benjamin Franklin stated, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Our ancestors and children deserve our fighting for the greatest and freest country on earth. Can we do it?

 

 

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers and blogs, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio is an author of weekly newspaper articles, INVASION WITHIN  and the latest book entitled, IN CHARGE PARENTING In a PC World. You can see many of Dr. Maglio’s articles at www.drmaglioblogspot.com.